Powers of the Witches Rise
by Crescent Dreamweaver
Summary: Sequel to "Firestarter". *Complete*
1. Sneaking Out

POWERS OF THE WITCHES RISE by Crescent Dreamweaver email: catz4dog1@aol.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or Charmed. Mutant X belongs to Marvel Studios and Tribune Entertainment, and Charmed belongs to the WB! I just own Aurora, Claire, and Arestan.  
  
Synopsis: Sequel to "Firestarter". Aurora sneaks out to a club in San Francisco, not realizing that she'll soon find out more about her new psionic abilities.  
  
* *= indicates emphasized words -- --= indicates a person's thoughts  
  
Let the story begin!  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter 1: Sneaking Out  
  
Aurora Hawkins peeked out of her bedroom, and didn't see anyone out there. Good. That probably meant that she could sneak out without getting caught. She walked out of her bedroom, silently closing the door behind her, and started to tiptoe down the hall.  
  
"Going somewhere?" Aurora nearly jumped out of her skin as Adam stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path.  
  
"Hi, Adam," said Aurora keeping her voice normal. "I was just going for a walk. Perfectly harmless. And I'm not going out completely defenseless. I've got a can of pepper spray. See?" She lifted up the hem of her shirt, revealing the can of pepper spray that she had hooked to her belt.  
  
Adam lifted an eyebrow at her.  
  
"This walk you're going on wouldn't happen to be taking you in the direction of the clubs downtown, now would it?" he asked mildly.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"That's what I thought. Back to your room." But before Aurora could walk away, Adam held out his hand. "Pepper spray."  
  
Scowling, Aurora hiked up the hem of her shirt again, and yanked the can of pepper spray from her belt, shoving it into Adam's hand. Then, pouting, she stomped back to her room, and slammed the door shut behind her. Adam sighed, and went downstairs to say good-bye to Claire Wilcox before he headed back to Sanctuary.  
  
Aurora grabbed her purse, and tiptoed over to the window, opening it silently. She climbed out, and quickly shimmied down the drain pipe. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she took off running down the street.  
  
* * *  
  
A short while later, Aurora had arrived at one of the most popular clubs in the city, P3. She paid the admission, and went inside. There was a live band, and several people were dancing on the floor. Aurora grinned, and went over to the bar.  
  
"I'd like a bottle of water, please," she said to the waitress standing behind the bar. The waitress grinned, and handed her a bottle of Dasani.  
  
"That'll be a dollar seventy-five," the waitress said, and Aurora forked over the money. Then she walked over to one of the couches, and sat down, taking a gulp of her water. It was icy cold, and felt extremely good on her throat. --This is the definition of 'delicious'-- she thought, recalling one of her favorite childhood books, "The Search For Delicious".  
  
A moment later, she was approached by a really cute guy with blond hair and brown eyes.  
  
"Hi," he said, giving her a cocky grin. "Can I buy you a drink?"  
  
"No, thank you," Aurora replied, indicating to the bottle of water in her hands. "I already have a drink." She didn't trust this guy. He practically oozed sexuality.  
  
"Then do you wanna dance?" persisted the guy.  
  
"No, thanks." Aurora yelped as he grabbed her by the arm, yanking her to her feet.  
  
"That wasn't a request," the guy snarled.  
  
"Let me go!" Aurora demanded.  
  
"Not until you dance with me!"  
  
"When hell freezes over, and not a moment sooner, asshole! Now, leggo!" Aurora yelped as the guy's fist connected with her face, and fell flat on her butt, dazed. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear the stars from her vision, and saw that the guy was being hauled away from her by a couple of huge guys that looked like they could take on Hulk Hogan.  
  
* * *  
  
Piper Halliwell ran over to the people that had just had a fight. The girl was sitting on the floor, looking dazed, and the guy was being dragged away.  
  
"Ow," the girl said pathetically. Piper helped her to her feet, and a moment later, Phoebe and Paige, her younger sisters, came running up.  
  
"Piper, what the hell happened?" Phoebe demanded. "Is she all right?"  
  
"She's fine," Piper replied. "I think she's just a little shaken up. Let's get her to my office."  
  
"My head hurts," the girl complained once they were in Piper's office, and Paige had shut the door behind them. "Of course, that's mostly due to the fact that I just got punched in the face." She removed her hand from her face, and Piper winced when she saw the huge bruise forming around her right eye.  
  
"What's your name?" asked Phoebe gently.  
  
"Aurora Hawkins." Phoebe blinked. That was definitely a fitting name. Aurora had waist-length red hair and pale green eyes.  
  
"My name's Phoebe, that's Paige---" She pointed at the youngest of the Halliwells, who smiled at Aurora. "---and that's Piper. Now, is there someone you can call to come get you?" Aurora nodded, and Paige handed her the phone. She quickly punched in a number, and then handed it to Piper.  
  
"Ask for Adam," she said. "He's one of my guardians." She sounded resigned to her fate, and Piper raised an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"I'm gonna go get Aurora some ice for that eye of hers," whispered Paige, and left the office. Piper nodded, and turned her attention back to the phone.  
  
A moment later, someone answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?" said a man on the other end of the phone. He had a rich baritone.  
  
"Is Adam there?" Piper asked.  
  
"Speaking."  
  
"Adam, this is Piper Halliwell, the owner of P3. There's a young woman here named Aurora Hawkins, and she's gotten into a bit of a scuffle with one of the customers here."  
  
* * *  
  
Adam hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket.  
  
"I'll be back in a little while," he told Shalimar Fox, who was sitting on the couch reading a book. "I have to go pick Aurora up from a club."  
  
Shalimar looked up at him, a surprised look on her face.  
  
"I thought you told Aurora that she couldn't go to a club by herself," she said, sounding surprised.  
  
"I did."  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora held the baggie of ice against her right eye, which was quickly turning purple.  
  
"I feel like such an idiot," she muttered. "Why, oh why didn't I listen to Adam?"  
  
"Did he tell you that you couldn't go to any clubs?" Phoebe asked gently. Aurora shook her head.  
  
"He told me that I couldn't go to any clubs by myself," she replied. "But I thought it was a stupid rule, so I snuck out."  
  
"Well, that explains it," said Paige. "It was karma. You didn't listen to good advice, and it came back and bit you on the ass."  
  
"No kidding," mumbled Aurora.  
  
* * *  
  
Adam parked the car outside P3, and quickly paid the admission. Then he dashed inside.  
  
"Where's Piper Halliwell's office?" he asked the first person that he saw. The person pointed it out to him, and Adam headed towards it. But before he could knock on the door, it was opened by a young woman with long brown hair.  
  
"That was quick," she said. "She's in here." She led him into her office, and Adam saw that Aurora was sitting in a leather seat. But before he could take a step towards her, Piper placed a hand on his arm. "Go easy on her," she said gently. "She's already been punished."  
  
"How was she punished?" Adam asked.  
  
"Karma bit her on the ass," said a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes. "I'm Paige, by the way."  
  
"And I'm Phoebe," said another young woman with light brown hair and brown eyes who was sitting beside Aurora. "And what Paige means by karma biting her on the ass is that Aurora was being harassed by a young man."  
  
"He said that he wouldn't leave me alone until I danced with him, and I told him that I'd dance with him when hell froze over, and not a moment sooner, and for him to let me go," Aurora said, removing the baggie of ice from her eye, revealing a huge bruise developing. "So he punched me in the face."  
  
Adam winced and immediately went over to her. He gently probed the bruise, and Aurora winced at the touch of his gentle fingers on her injury.  
  
"I can see what Piper meant by you already being punished," he said gently, and helped her to her feet. "Come on. Let's get you home."  
  
Aurora turned to the three Halliwells, and hugged them.  
  
"Thank you," she said, and then followed Adam out to the car.  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora was silent as Adam drove her back to Claire's house. Finally, she spoke.  
  
"I can't believe that you're not yelling at me," she said softly. "Am I gonna get punished?"  
  
Adam shook his head.  
  
"You've been punched in the face," he replied. "I think you've gotten enough of a punishment." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "But if you insist, I guess I could make you clean Sanctuary from top to bottom for the next month."  
  
Aurora's eyes grew wide.  
  
"No! Getting punched was enough of a punishment!" Adam chuckled.  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	2. The Talk

Note: It's set in the early part of the fourth season of Charmed, when Cole was still half-demon and half-human, and Phoebe still had her normal- looking haircut. Also, it's B.G.A. (Before Gabriel Ashlock).  
  
Chapter 2: The Talk  
  
Aurora sighed. It was two minutes until the bell would ring, signalling the end of the school day, but it might as well have been two hours. She was about ready to fall asleep, but the problem was that if she fell asleep, she'd get detention.  
  
Finally, the bell rang, and everyone got up and left the room. Aurora shoved her books into her backpack, and then slung it over her shoulder, walking out of the classroom.  
  
Instead of taking the bus that afternoon, as she usually did, Aurora walked home. As she walked down the street, her thoughts wandered to the dream she'd had last night.  
  
**start dream sequence**  
  
"No!" Aurora screamed. There was a hooded figure standing in front of her. "Leave me alone! Go away!"  
  
The figure reached up and shoved his hood back. Aurora gasped when she saw who it was.  
  
It was her boyfriend, Jason.  
  
"I can't go away," he replied evilly. "I'm your boyfriend." He removed his robe, and let it fall to the ground. "And now your powers are mine!"  
  
Aurora screamed shrilly.  
  
**end dream sequence**  
  
Aurora sighed. She had woken up from that dream screaming like a banshee, which had brought Claire running into her bedroom. Aurora had lied to her, telling her that she'd had a dream about the creep who'd punched her at P3. Claire had hugged her and told her not to worry about him.  
  
Suddenly, Aurora noticed that she was in front of a large Victorian house. She blinked, and was about to walk away, but then she noticed the name on the mailbox.  
  
Halliwell.  
  
Aurora blinked again. --Huh-- she thought in surprise. --What are the odds?-- She walked up to the front door, and knocked on it. A moment later, it was opened by Paige Halliwell.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked. Then her eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Hey, you're the girl from P3 the other night. Aurora, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, I am," replied Aurora. "Is Phoebe here?"  
  
"Yeah, she's up in her room. Come on inside." Aurora followed Paige inside, and gaped at everything in sight. The house was a combination of modern and antique.  
  
"Cool place," she said.  
  
"Thanks." Paige led Aurora upstairs, where Phoebe Halliwell was sitting on her bed, rummaging through a folder with several papers inside. She looked up, and grinned when she saw Aurora standing there.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, standing up. "Come on in and sit down." Aurora walked into the room and sat down on the bed.  
  
"Phoebe, I'm here because I needed to talk to someone." Aurora hesitated for a moment. "Last night, I had the strangest dream. I dreamed that I was face-to-face with a guy who was wearing a long hooded robe. I yelled at him to leave me alone, and he pushed back his hood, revealing that he was my boyfriend Jason. The dream freaked me out so much that I woke up screaming like a goddamn banshee." Phoebe gave her a sympathetic look.  
  
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure it was just a bad dream." She gave Aurora a hug.  
  
Suddenly, the air in front of them shimmered, and a moment later, an older man stood in front of them. He had black hair, brown eyes, and was at least a foot taller than Phoebe.  
  
"Phoebe, we need to---" he began, and then spotted Aurora sitting next to Phoebe. "Uh, who's the runt?"  
  
Aurora gave him a Look that could have fried lead.  
  
* * *  
  
Cole appeared in Phoebe's bedroom.  
  
"Phoebe, we need to---" he began, and almost immediately became aware of the teenage girl sitting next to the woman he loved. She had waist-length red hair and pale green eyes. She was wearing a green t-shirt, a pair of beige capris, and a pair of canvas sneakers. "Uh, who's the runt?"  
  
The kid gave him a Look that could have fried lead.  
  
"Uh, this is Aurora Hawkins," Phoebe replied. "Aurora, this is my boyfriend, Cole. Cole, why the hell are you staring at her like that?"  
  
Cole tore his eyes away from Aurora. Her body was tinged with a pale white aura.  
  
"She's a witch," he said quietly.  
  
"Cole, are you sure?" Phoebe asked, surprised.  
  
"I'm positive. Check her collarbone."  
  
"Aurora, could you turn around, please?" Phoebe asked. Aurora blinked, and turned around. Phoebe pulled the collar of her shirt down, and saw that there was a tattoo of a celtic triad in a circle on her collarbone, the symbol for good witches.  
  
"What is it?" asked Aurora worriedly.  
  
"You've got the mark. You're a witch," Phoebe replied. Then she stood up, and yelled, "LEO!"  
  
A moment later, Leo, the Halliwell whitelighter and Piper's husband, orbed into the room.  
  
"What?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"We've got a new witch," replied Phoebe, grinning hugely. Leo glanced over at Aurora.  
  
"Is that her?" he asked.  
  
"Yep. Leo, this is Aurora Hawkins. Aurora, this is our whitelighter, Leo. He's also Piper's husband."  
  
Aurora held her hand out, and Leo shook it.  
  
"Pleased to meet you," she said, smiling. Leo stared at her.  
  
"How long have you known that you were a witch?" he asked, confused.  
  
"Uh, about five minutes." Leo chuckled.  
  
"Well, you are extremely lucky. You've already passed the 48 hour mark, which means that it's nearly impossible for a demon or warlock to seduce you with evil."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Phoebe. "What do you mean she's already passed the 48 hour mark?"  
  
"It means that when she became a witch, none of the Source's agents found out about it, so she didn't have to go up against demons or warlocks or anything," Leo replied. "Aurora, do you have any unusual abilities or powers?"  
  
"Aside from my pyrokinetic abilities? Nope." The others gave her strange looks.  
  
"Pyrokinetic abilities?" Phoebe repeated.  
  
"I have pyrokinesis."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I set things on fire."  
  
"That's not pyrokinesis, that's arson."  
  
"Since when is the ability to create and control fire with my mind considered arson?" She got even stranger looks from the others.  
  
"To get back on track," said Leo quickly before Phoebe could say anything else. "Aurora, are you sure you don't have any other unusual abilities or powers?"  
  
"I'm positive---Oh, god. I just remembered."  
  
"What?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Well, at my parents' trial, when the judge announced their sentence, my mom got really angry, and she tried to attack me. I flung my hands up to protect my face, and a few seconds later, I heard a thud. My mother was lying on the floor, moaning in pain. She'd been about three feet away from me, but she ended up about ten feet away from me."  
  
"Telekinesis," said Phoebe quietly. "One of the more common powers among witches." She glanced over at Aurora and asked, "I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but why were your parents on trial?"  
  
Aurora swallowed, but instead of answering, she pulled off her shirt and turned around. Cole winced, Leo inhaled sharply, and Phoebe gasped, feeling the bile rise in her throat.  
  
There were welts all over Aurora's back. They were vividly red against her pale skin.  
  
"This is why my parents were on trial," she whispered. "They tried to beat me to death with a leather belt." Without bothering to ask permission, Leo rushed forward and placed his hands on her back. Aurora yelped in pain at the direct contact with her injuries, and then sighed as a golden light came out of Leo's hands, making her wounds disappear completely. "How did you do that?" she asked, craning her neck to see her newly healed back.  
  
"All whitelighters have the ability to heal people," Leo replied. Aurora smiled at him.  
  
"Thank you," she said, and pulled her shirt back on. Then she glanced down at her watch, and turned pale. "Oh, crap. I've got to get home."  
  
"I can orb you home," said Paige from the doorway of Phoebe's bedroom. "I'm half whitelighter."  
  
Aurora gave her a grateful look.  
  
"Would you?" she replied. Paige nodded.  
  
"Gladly." She took Aurora's hand, and they orbed away.  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	3. A Difficult Secret To Keep

Chapter 3: A Difficult Secret To Keep  
  
Aurora stared at the computer screen, and sighed. For the past two days, she'd been looking up every single fact imaginable about witches and witchcraft. She'd gone to the bookstore and had bought several books on the subject, and had been poring through them, hoping to find out more about her new gift. She'd also gone to every single website about the supernatural, but they'd only been about various demons and such; there hadn't been hardly anything on witches or witchcraft.  
  
" 'Witchcraft is another name for satanism'," she read aloud from the latest webpage that she was visiting. " 'Witches worship the devil, and every Friday night, they practice their evil spells and read passages aloud from the Satanic Bible'." Aurora snorted. "What a load of bullcrap." Suddenly, there was a knock on her bedroom door, and Aurora quickly got offline and shoved the books under her bed. "Come in," she called. The door opened, and Claire poked her head inside.  
  
"Hey, kiddo," she said. "Adam's here, and he wants to talk to you." Aurora grimaced.  
  
"Did he watch the video of the trial?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Crap." Aurora stood up and walked out of her room, heading downstairs. Adam was sitting on the couch, but he stood up when she walked downstairs.  
  
"Aurora, we need to talk," he said. "I saw the tape of your parents' trial, and I was rather surprised to see that you telekinetically threw your mother backwards." Aurora swallowed as Adam's brown eyes bored into hers. "How long have you had telekinesis?" he asked.  
  
"Since the trial," whispered Aurora. She swallowed again. "Adam, I found out a couple of days ago that I'm not just a New Mutant."  
  
"Well, what else are you?" asked Adam curiously.  
  
"I'm..." Aurora began, but then remembered the promise she'd made. She'd promised not to tell anyone about her new heritage. "Just different, that's all," she finished lamely. Adam lifted an eyebrow slightly, but didn't question her answer.  
  
"Well, if you're sure, then I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind," he replied, and stood up, walking towards the front door. "See you later, Aurora."  
  
* * *  
  
"I can't keep the fact that I'm a witch hidden for much longer," said Aurora to Piper the next day. The older woman was making spaghetti sauce that smelled absolutely heavenly. "Adam knows that I lied to him, I just know he does."  
  
"We never said that being a witch was easy," replied Piper, stirring the sauce. "Hand me the garlic, would you?" Aurora grabbed the garlic that was in a bowl and handed it to her. "It's especially hard when you're having to keep it a secret from the ones you care about, and it doesn't help when demons are always dropping in and attacking you."  
  
Aurora smiled faintly, knowing that Piper was right. Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse, turning it on.  
  
"Hello?" she asked. "Claire, calm down! What happened?" Aurora listened to the person on the other end of the line for a moment, and then spoke again. "Don't worry, Claire. It's just a few houses down from where I am right now. I'll go over there and get her. Okay, bye." She turned off her cell phone and turned towards Piper. "I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora ran down the sidewalk and stopped in front of a yellow and blue house. She could hear shouting inside, and she ran up to the front door.  
  
"I can't believe that you turned our daughter in to the GSA!" shrieked a woman inside. "You sick bastard! They'll put her in a stasis pod!"  
  
"She's a freak!" shouted a man in reply. "She deserves to be in a stasis pod!"  
  
Aurora opened the front door and grinned at the man and woman who were in the hallway.  
  
"Hi. I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd take your daughter and get her into the Underground before anyone from the GSA gets here," she said cheerfully.  
  
The woman let out a sigh of relief, but the man glared at her.  
  
"She's not going into the Underground!" he growled. "She's going into a stasis pod where she belongs!"  
  
"I don't think so," replied Aurora calmly. Turning to the woman, she asked, "Where's your daughter?"  
  
"In the living room," the woman replied.  
  
Aurora went into the living room and saw a little girl with brown hair and brown eyes sitting on the couch who couldn't have been more than eight years old. When she saw Aurora, she jumped to her feet, a terrified look on her face.  
  
"It's all right," said Aurora soothingly. "I'm not a GS agent. I was sent by Mutant X."  
  
The terrified look left the little girl's eyes.  
  
"Adam sent you?" she asked.  
  
"That's right. My name's Aurora. What's yours?"  
  
"Leila."  
  
"That's a pretty name. Now, are you ready to leave?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
Aurora and Leila turned to leave, but they both came to a halt when they saw three men dressed in suits that were standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hand over the kid," one of them said. "Or do you intend to resist?"  
  
"Don't be such an idiot; of course I intend to resist!" Aurora snapped. She flung out her hands, and the GS agents went flying backwards, crashing into the wall. Then Aurora made a gesture with her hand, and a wall of fire appeared between her and Leila and the GS agents. She grabbed Leila by the hand, and they ran towards the back door. Aurora looked back, and saw that the agents were putting out the fire. "Come on, Leila! We've gotta get you to safety!"  
  
They ran around the side of the house and then ran down the street.  
  
"Aurora, where are we going?" Leila demanded, panting.  
  
"Just down the street, kiddo," Aurora replied. "There's a place where we can hide at for now." A moment later, they reached Halliwell Manor, and they ran onto the front porch. Aurora began pounding on the front door with her fists. "Piper! Phoebe! Paige! Somebody open this goddamn door!"  
  
A moment later, the front door was yanked open by Piper, who looked slightly alarmed.  
  
"Aurora, what the hell's the matter?" she demanded.  
  
"Let us inside!" Aurora said frantically, pushing past her and dragging Leila inside.  
  
"What's going on down there?" came Paige's voice from upstairs.  
  
"We've got trouble!" Aurora yelled.  
  
"Demonic trouble?"  
  
"They're human, but they've got superpowers and guns."  
  
"Who's got superpowers and guns?" asked Phoebe, walking in from the kitchen.  
  
"The guys that are after me and Leila."  
  
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Piper peeked out the window. Then she looked back over at Aurora.  
  
"Would the guys after the two of you be dressed like corporate clones?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"They're here."  
  
"Crap." Aurora formed a fireball in her right hand. "Piper, open the door as wide as you can, *now*."  
  
Piper flung the door open as wide as it would go. Aurora flung the fireball in her hand at the agents on the front porch, and they dove out of the way.  
  
"Give us the kid, you freak," snarled one of the GS agents. "We're not gonna hurt her, if that's what you're worried about."  
  
"No, you'll just stick her in a stasis pod for future examination," Aurora retorted. "Not gonna happen, asshole."  
  
Angrily, the GS agent pulled out a gun.  
  
"Gun!" Aurora heard Paige call from behind her. An instant later, the gun disappeared in white sparkles. Aurora whipped around just in time to see the gun reappear in Paige's hand in the same white sparkles as before. The GS agent gaped at her in astonishment, and then threw electricity at her. But before it could hit her, Paige orbed out of the way.  
  
"Hey, jackass!" Phoebe snarled, glaring at the agent. "It's bad enough that demons throw lightning at my baby sister, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let a goddamn corporate clone do that to her!" With that, Phoebe ran at the agent, levitated five feet into the air, and kicked him in the head.  
  
A second agent ran at Phoebe and tried to grab her, but before he could, Piper froze the room. Aurora grabbed a chair and moved it in front of the agent, while Phoebe got out of the way as quickly as she could.  
  
"Piper, unfreeze the room," she ordered. Piper unfroze the room, and the agent moved forward. Then he tripped over the chair and crashed to the floor face-first.  
  
"Have a nice trip," said Piper nastily.  
  
"See you next fall," added Paige.  
  
In the meantime, the four of them hadn't noticed the third agent. He pulled out his gun, and aimed it at Aurora. But before he could pull the trigger, he was hit from behind by a bolt of electricity. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Aurora and the others spun around and saw that a young man was standing there. Blue electricity sparked around his fingertips.  
  
"Brennan!" Aurora shrieked, flinging herself at him. She hugged him tightly and grinned at him. "Did you come to get Leila into the Underground? Because if you are, then you'd better get her out of here before the goon squad wakes up."  
  
"Yeah, me and Shalimar are here to get Leila into the Underground," replied Brennan Mulwray. "When you didn't call back, Claire got worried about the two of you, and she demanded that we track the two of you down."  
  
"So here we are," said Shalimar from behind Brennan.  
  
Leila stepped forward.  
  
"Do you work with Adam?" she asked.  
  
"That's right," Shalimar replied.  
  
"Am I ever gonna see my mom again?" There was a sad look in Leila's eyes. Shalimar crouched down until the two of them were eye-to-eye.  
  
"Leila, we're going to try as hard as we can to get you and your mom into the Underground together. I can't guarantee that your dad'll get into the Underground, too, since he betrayed you to the GSA, but we're definitely gonna try to keep you and your mom together in the Underground. All right?"  
  
Leila grinned.  
  
"That's all I ask," she said. Suddenly, she screamed, "Look out!"  
  
Aurora and the others spun around, and they all gasped. There was an older man standing in the doorway. He had curly grey hair and dark brown, almost black eyes. There was a cold glint in his eyes, but that wasn't what frightened Aurora.  
  
What frightened Aurora was the pale blue energy ball that he held in one hand.  
  
"Where's Belthazar?" he demanded. Aurora was startled at how cultured his voice was.  
  
"Um, he's out of town," Aurora replied. --Wonderful. A bounty hunter that's searching for Cole-- she thought grimly. --I do *not* need this right now, and neither do Phoebe, Paige, and Piper.-- "He'll be back sometime next millenium, though. Can I take a message?" The demon bounty hunter snarled, and flung the energy ball at her. Aurora dove out of the way, barely avoiding being hit. "So that's the way you like to play, huh?" she asked. "Mind if I join the game?"  
  
She formed a fireball in one hand, and flung it at the demon. It took off his arm at the shoulder, splattering green goo everywhere. Then, to Aurora's shock and amazement, his arm instantly grew back. --Aw, crap!-- she thought, dismayed. Without hesitation, she used her telekinesis to fling him against the wall, and while he slowly got to his feet, she formed another fireball.  
  
* * *  
  
Arestan stood up slowly, feeling the pain in his bones. --Did Alaster ever feel this kind of pain?-- he thought, grimacing slightly. It was one thing when his arm was blasted off, but it was another thing entirely when he was flung up against a wall.  
  
He glanced over at the red-haired witch who could fling fire, and saw that she looked slightly different. Her green eyes were practically glowing with anger, and strands of her hair had come loose from her braid, framing her pale face. With a start, Arestan realized that he found the young witch quite attractive.  
  
Suddenly frightened by the way that his emotions were acting, he transported himself back to his lair.  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora lowered the hand that was holding the fireball, staring at the place where the demon had been standing. He had just shimmered away.  
  
"Where'd he go?" she asked Piper, confused.  
  
"Probably to report you to the Source," Piper replied.  
  
"Oh, great. I've been a witch for less than a week, and I'm already having to worry about the Source? Lovely."  
  
"Um, Aurora?" came Brennan's voice from behind them. Aurora nearly jumped out of her skin; she'd completely forgotten that he and Shalimar were still there. She turned around, and saw that they were staring at her and the three Halliwells. "Would you mind explaining what the hell is going on?"  
  
Aurora swallowed hard.  
  
"Uh, that could take awhile."  
  
* * *  
  
Twenty minutes later, Aurora, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had explained everything to Brennan and Shalimar. They were a bit skeptical about the fact that Aurora was a witch, but they agreed that the guy who had attacked her definitely wasn't human.  
  
"Aurora, you do realize that you're going to have to tell Claire and Adam and Jesse and Emma the truth, don't you?" Shalimar said.  
  
Aurora made a face.  
  
"Do I have to?" she whined.  
  
"Well, Brennan and Shalimar now know," replied Piper. "So it's only fair that the rest of your friends know it, too."  
  
"Oh, all right," said Aurora reluctantly. "I'll tell them tonight."  
  
"If you want, we'll come with you when you tell them," offered Phoebe.  
  
"No, that's all right. I don't need any help."  
  
"Well, we'd better get Leila into the Underground," said Shalimar finally. She, Brennan, Leila and Aurora headed out the front door.  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	4. Attack At Claire's

Note: Y'all are probably thinking that I'm crazy for writing that a demon who's probably older than Cole (and looks older, too) is attracted to a young woman like Aurora. Don't worry, it works out in future chapters, though I doubt that the attraction is mutual for Aurora.  
  
Chapter 4: Attack At Claire's  
  
All through dinner that night at Claire's house, Aurora was completely quiet. Adam began to get worried about her; she should have been bragging about her first victory against GS agents. Finally, when all the dishes had been dumped in the sink, Adam decided to question Aurora and find out what was wrong.  
  
"Aurora, are you all right?" he asked, walking over to her.  
  
Aurora smiled faintly.  
  
"I'm fine, Adam." Then her smile faded. "I have to tell you, Jesse, Emma, and Claire something very important."  
  
A short while later, Adam, Jesse Kilmartin, Emma deLauro, and Claire were all assembled in the living room.  
  
"Aurora, what's going on?" asked Jesse. "And why aren't Brennan or Shalimar here?"  
  
"Brennan and Shalimar aren't here because they already know what I'm about to tell you guys." Aurora took a deep breath. "I'm a witch."  
  
"Yeah, right," scoffed Jesse.  
  
"I am!"  
  
"Prove it, then."  
  
Aurora scowled at him and began thinking of a spell that would prove she was a witch, but before she could come up with one, white sparkles appeared in the air next to her, and an instant later, Piper and Leo stood there.  
  
"Hey, Aurora," said Piper cheerfully. "We unanimously decided that you needed some emotional support. Phoebe and Paige will be here any minute now."  
  
As if to prove her point, more white sparkles appeared in the center of the room, producing Paige and Phoebe.  
  
"Hey, shortstuff," Paige said. Aurora scowled at her.  
  
"Don't call me that," she growled.  
  
Suddenly, Cole shimmered into existance. He was looking rather beat up, and he had a cut on one cheek that was bleeding.  
  
Phoebe immediately rushed over to him, a worried look on her face.  
  
"Oh, baby, you're bleeding," she said, concerned.  
  
Aurora, Piper, and Paige glanced over at each other while Phoebe fussed over Cole.  
  
"Cole, were you---" Piper began, when the demon from earlier shimmered into existance.  
  
"Yes, I was!" Cole snapped, pulling away from Phoebe and forming an energy ball in one hand, flinging it at the demon. "His name is Arestan, and he's a chameleon. But he's not just any demon, he's the twin brother of the chameleon Alaster."  
  
"The one who had been spying on us for the Source?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yep!" replied Cole, dodging an energy ball that Arestan threw at him. "You know, you could vanquish him; you have the spell!"  
  
"But I can't remember the stupid spell!" Phoebe wailed.  
  
Aurora decided to pitch in and help Cole fight Arestan. She formed a fireball in one hand and let out a shrill, attention-getting whistle. Arestan spun around to face her, and froze. Aurora flung the fireball at him, but he dodged it before it could hit him.  
  
"I don't want to fight you!" he yelled.  
  
"What you want isn't always what you get!" Aurora snapped, preparing to toss off another fireball. But before she could, Arestan tossed a thin rope at her, and it wound itself around her ankles and hands. "Hey! Get this damn rope off of me!"  
  
She began struggling, trying to loosen the ropes, but before she could, Arestan waved his hand and she disappeared into thin air.  
  
"Aurora!" shouted Adam. His face full of fury, he ran at Arestan, fully intending to beat the crap out of him. But Arestan formed an energy ball and flung it at him. It hit Adam square in the chest, and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into the wall and slid to the floor, unconscious.  
  
Cole formed an energy ball, but before he could throw it at Arestan, he shimmered away.  
  
"Damn it," he muttered, scowling. He tossed the energy ball into the air, where it disappeared.  
  
Leo ran over to where Adam was lying on the floor, and place his hands over his chest. A golden light came out of his hands, healing Adam's injuries. A moment later, his eyes opened, and he sat up, groaning.  
  
"What hit me?" Adam muttered, getting to his feet.  
  
"An energy ball," Leo replied.  
  
Adam stared at him. Then he remembered the guy that had taken Aurora.  
  
"Where the hell is Aurora?" he demanded, turning to the Halliwells. "And who the hell was that guy?"  
  
"For the first question, you just answered it yourself," replied Piper, and Adam turned pale. "As for the second question, that guy was the demon Arestan."  
  
"What I don't understand is why he told her that he didn't want to fight her," Phoebe mused. "I mean, that's not the sort of thing a demon usually says when fighting a witch."  
  
Suddenly, she noticed that Aurora's watch was lying on the floor. Curiously, she picked it up, and gasped as the vision hit her.  
  
**flash**  
  
"I can't let you go," Arestan pleaded.  
  
"Why the hell not?" Aurora demanded.  
  
"Because I love you. I've never been in love before, but I know what it is. Please, be my bride."  
  
"No!"  
  
"But I love you, Aurora." His eyes were filled with sadness at her refusal. "Besides, I can't let you be with a warlock."  
  
"What are you talking about, you dingbat? I'm not with a warlock!"  
  
"Yes, you are. He's gotten close to you. Have you had any strange dreams lately, perhaps about someone you love, who plans to take your powers?" Aurora stared at him in horror, turning pale.  
  
"Liar!" Aurora ran at him, and began pummeling him with her fists. Arestan grabbed her wrists, preventing Aurora from hitting him any more.  
  
"Calm down," he said softly. "I am not a liar."  
  
"Yes, you are!" Aurora sobbed. "I hate you! You're trying to turn me against Jason so that I'll accept your offer of marriage!"  
  
Arestan let go of her, and Aurora flung herself to the floor, sobbing hysterically.  
  
"I would never do anything like that," he whispered sadly.  
  
**flash**  
  
Phoebe opened her eyes, and found that everyone was staring at her.  
  
"Phoebe, what did you see?" Piper asked worriedly.  
  
"Well, I don't think that Arestan's the bad guy anymore," she replied.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think he's trying to protect her."  
  
"From what?" asked Paige.  
  
"From a warlock that's somehow managed to get close to her. His name's Jason."  
  
Piper blinked.  
  
"Didn't Aurora say that she'd had a nightmare the other night that was about her boyfriend Jason?" she asked. Phoebe nodded.  
  
"Yeah, she said that in the nightmare, she was face-to-face with a guy in a hooded robe, and he revealed himself to be Jason." A moment later, something dawned on Phoebe. "Adam, how long has Aurora been going out with Jason?"  
  
"I don't know," Adam replied, shrugging.  
  
"They'd been going out for more than a month before her parents' trial," Emma said, speaking up for the first time.  
  
Piper glanced over at Phoebe sharply.  
  
"Pheebs, are you saying that Aurora's been going out with a warlock?" she demanded.  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Phoebe replied. "He might've sensed her potential for power, both magical and genetic."  
  
"Well, what would he have done to her?" Emma demanded. "Would he have found a way to take her powers?"  
  
Paige, Phoebe, and Piper all glanced at each other, and then they looked over at Emma.  
  
"Warlocks can take a witch's powers by killing them," Phoebe said quietly, and Emma blanched.  
  
"We've got to find where Arestan took Aurora, and rescue her," said Paige firmly. "I'm not too worried about the boyfriend from hell, but I *am* worried about what Arestan's definition of 'helping her' is."  
  
Everyone else nodded in agreement.  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	5. The Proposal

Chapter 5: The Proposal  
  
Aurora stared around at the blank walls of her prison, and shivered. Why had Arestan kidnapped her? Just because she'd defended Cole didn't give him the right to kidnap her! And it certainly didn't give him the right to chain her to the wall of a prison.  
  
"Arestan, you no-good demonic scumbag!" she yelled. "If you're listening, I want out of here!"  
  
Suddenly, the air in front of her shimmered, and an instant later, Arestan stood there.  
  
"Aurora, I can't let you out unless I know that you won't try to escape," he said. "Can I trust you not to try to escape?"  
  
Aurora sighed, and reviewed her options. If she told him off, which was what she really wanted to do, Arestan wouldn't likely let her out.  
  
However, if she was honest, then he might let her out of her prison.  
  
Aurora decided to go with option number two.  
  
"I'm not going to escape," she replied. "Mainly because I don't know my way around."  
  
Arestan smiled, and snapped his fingers. The chains binding her to the wall vanished instantly, and Aurora stumbled forward, rubbing her wrists.  
  
"That's a good reason to let you out," Arestan said.  
  
Aurora flashed him a dazzling grin.  
  
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me go, would you?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Of course I'll let you go," said Arestan, and Aurora grinned hugely. "If you agree to marry me."  
  
Aurora's mouth fell open in shock. --Marry him? He wants me to *marry* him?! Like hell I will!--  
  
"You can't be serious," she said finally. "You're---"  
  
"A demon?" asked Arestan, his tone suddenly bitter.  
  
"Well, I was gonna say 'So much older than me', but that, too," said Aurora. "Why do you want to marry me?"  
  
Arestan reached out with one hand and gently touched Aurora's face. She shrank away from his touch, and turned to face the wall. Arestan reached out and touched her fiery waterfall of silky hair, running his fingers through it. It felt like strands of silk against his skin.  
  
"I love you," he said softly. "I don't know why. I want you, and I intend to have you."  
  
Aurora sighed.  
  
"Then there's only one thing that I can do," she whispered. "I have no other choice."  
  
With that, she slowly turned around to face Arestan. He grinned and readied himself for the kiss that she would give him.  
  
POW! Arestan staggered backwards before falling to the ground, completely stunned. Aurora stood over him, a furious look on her face.  
  
"I am *so* not going to marry you!" she snarled. "You are way, *way* too old for me! Now, LET ME GO HOME!"  
  
Arestan stood up slowly, wiping green blood from his nose, and nodded.  
  
"Very well," he replied. "I will not force you to marry me. But I ask that you at least think about it before you make a rash decision." Arestan took a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Aurora interrupted him.  
  
"I want you to let me go," she demanded.  
  
"I can't let you go," Arestan pleaded.  
  
"Why the hell not?" Aurora demanded.  
  
"Because I love you. I've never been in love before, but I know what it is. Please, be my bride."  
  
"No!"  
  
"But I love you, Aurora." His eyes were filled with sadness at her refusal. "Besides, I can't let you be with a warlock."  
  
"What are you talking about, you dingbat? I'm not with a warlock!"  
  
"Yes, you are. He's gotten close to you. Have you had any strange dreams lately, perhaps about someone you love, who plans to take your powers?" Aurora went white as a sheet and stared at him in horror. --How did he find out about the dream I had about Jason the other night?-- she thought fearfully. Then it hit her. --The bastard must have sent me that dream, so that he could turn me against Jason!--  
  
"Liar!" Aurora ran at him, and began pummeling him with her fists. Arestan grabbed her wrists, preventing Aurora from hitting him any more.  
  
"Calm down," he said softly. "I am not a liar."  
  
"Yes, you are!" Aurora sobbed. "I hate you! You're trying to turn me against Jason so that I'll accept your offer of marriage!"  
  
Arestan let go of her, and Aurora flung herself to the floor, sobbing hysterically.  
  
"I would never do anything like that," he whispered sadly. Arestan stared down at her sobbing figure, and made a decision. As beautiful as she was, she didn't belong down here with him. She belonged with her friends.  
  
She deserved to be free.  
  
--That was the difference between me and Alaster-- he thought suddenly. -- We're both calculating, which is the way that all chameleons are. But Alaster was always smooth talk and no mercy. If Alaster had found Aurora while he was still alive, he would have stolen her from her bed in the middle of the night and brought her down here. Then he would have locked her in a cage for his eyes only. But I'm going to do the opposite. I'm going to let her go.--  
  
Arestan crouched down beside Aurora, and gently stroked her hair.  
  
"It was wrong of me to bring you here," he said softly, and Aurora lifted her head. "I've been acting like a spoiled child. No, I take it back; I've been acting like my twin brother, Alaster."  
  
Aurora gave him a sympathetic look.  
  
"Your brother must have been a real jerk," she said softly.  
  
"Yes, he was. And I refuse to be anything like him." Arestan helped Aurora to her feet, keeping her from falling over. "Go home, Aurora. Your innocence and beauty were not meant to be wasted down here."  
  
Aurora stared at him, unable to believe her ears. Finally, she spoke.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered. Then she thought of something. "Um, Arestan? Could I possibly get a ride back upstairs? I can't orb."  
  
Arestan smiled at her.  
  
"Certainly." He took hold of her arm, and they shimmered away.  
  
* * *  
  
A moment later, they appeared in the Halliwells' living room. Aurora took off running upstairs, calling for Piper, Paige, and Phoebe.  
  
Phoebe poked her head out of her room, and gasped when she saw that Aurora was standing in the hallway.  
  
"Aurora!" she said happily. "You've escaped from Arestan's grasp all by yourself! Piper and Paige went with Adam and the others to see if they could find where Arestan was keeping you, and I offered to stay here and see if you managed to escape and come here."  
  
Aurora blinked.  
  
"Translation: you had a vision, and knew that I'd come back," she said. "But I didn't escape from Arestan; he let me go."  
  
Now it was Phoebe's turn to blink. She looked behind Aurora, and saw that Arestan was standing behind her.  
  
"He let you go?" Phoebe repeated slowly. "Why? Did he make you promise to come back to him at a certain time, or something like that?"  
  
Aurora shook her head.  
  
"He didn't make me promise anything," she replied. "He and I...came to an understanding." She glanced over her shoulder at the chameleon, and he nodded.  
  
"Before I leave, I need to ask you something, Aurora," Arestan said suddenly. Aurora glanced over her shoulder again, a look of surprise on her face.  
  
"What?" she asked curiously.  
  
"I know that it would probably take a miracle, but I want you to consider my offer. No matter where you go, my offer will always remain open." He smiled at her, and then shimmered away.  
  
Phoebe glanced at Aurora out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"He asked you to be his bride, didn't he?" she asked. Aurora smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he did. But I'm not sure if I want to accept his offer. It's tempting, though." Aurora headed downstairs, and Phoebe followed her. "Do you mind if I use your phone to call Adam and let him and the others know that I'm all right?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	6. Boyfriend From Hell

Chapter 6: Boyfriend From Hell  
  
A few days later, Aurora was walking down the street, when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and saw that Jason was running towards her. His short blond hair fell into his eyes, making him look absolutely adorable.  
  
"Hey, babe," he said cheerfully. "Wanna go get a soda?"  
  
"Uh, sorry, Jason," Aurora lied. "Claire wants me to come home immediately after school to help clean the house. We've got people from Social Services coming over to see how I'm doing in a foster home. They're going to be visiting and taking notes. You know, about how I'm dealing with the fact that my parents are in jail because they tried to kill me, or if I'm having nightmares about what they did to me. That sort of thing."  
  
Jason frowned.  
  
"But I want you to come get a soda with me," he replied.  
  
"But I can't."  
  
"I want you to, though."  
  
"No." Angrily, Jason grabbed Aurora by the arm, and yelped as she easily freed herself from his grasp, while at the same time grabbing his arm and twisting it painfully behind his back. "Now, I want you to listen to me, Jason," Aurora said in a low voice. "I am not going to do what you want me to do. I'm only going to do what I *choose* to do. And I *choose* not to go get a soda with you right now." She released his arm, and walked away. "See you later, Jason."  
  
* * *  
  
As Aurora walked away, Jason glared after her.  
  
"I'm going to enjoy taking your powers," he hissed. "Then, as soon as I've done that, I'm going to take you to my bed, and teach you a lesson in respect."  
  
With that, he blinked, disappearing into thin air, not noticing that Aurora was watching him from around the corner.  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora stared at the place where Jason had been standing.  
  
"I think I need to pay a visit to the Charmed Ones, and get their advice," she muttered, and took off towards Halliwell Manor.  
  
* * *  
  
Piper had just pulled a pan of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven when there was a pounding on the front door.  
  
"Phoebe, could you get that, please?" she called.  
  
Phoebe got up from the couch where she and Cole had been cuddling, and went over to the door, opening it. Aurora was standing on the porch, an annoyed look on her face.  
  
"It's about time someone opened the door," she said. "My hand was starting to hurt."  
  
"Aurora, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, a concerned look on her face. "Is the goon squad from the other day after you again?" Aurora shook her head.  
  
"No, it has nothing to do with the GSA," she replied, and smiled at the look of confusion on Phoebe's face. "It stands for 'Genetic Security Agency'. They go after New Mutants. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because of something that my boyfriend Jason did."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"He disappeared into thin air. One minute he was standing there, and then there was a kind of popping noise, and he just disappeared."  
  
Phoebe turned pale, and she exchanged a look with Cole.  
  
"He blinked," she muttered. "Oh, my god. My hunch was right."  
  
"Right about what?" Aurora demanded.  
  
"Jason's the warlock that Arestan warned you about." At that, Aurora turned pale.  
  
"Oh, my god," she whispered. "He was right. I've been dating a warlock."  
  
"Paige! Piper!" Phoebe yelled.  
  
Piper ran in from the kitchen, and Paige orbed from upstairs.  
  
"What's wrong?" Piper asked worriedly. "Did Arestan change his mind and come back for Aurora?"  
  
"Or is there some other demon in the house?" Paige asked, and Cole glared at her. "Present company excluded, of course."  
  
"No," replied Aurora. "I just found out that Arestan hadn't lied to me when he said that I've been with a warlock."  
  
Both Paige and Piper turned pale.  
  
"You slept with a warlock?" Piper asked incredulously. "Good god, why the hell would you do that?" Aurora gave her a Look.  
  
"I didn't sleep with him," she replied angrily. "I've cuddled with him, and we've had some major make-out sessions, but we've never slept together! I'm still a virgin, thank you."  
  
"Well, that's a relief," came Arestan's voice from behind them. Aurora shrieked and spun around, glaring at the chameleon. "It's nice to know you haven't been ruined for other men."  
  
"Or demons?" Aurora asked scathingly. Phoebe stifled a smile, and Arestan flinched.  
  
"I deserved that," he said quietly.  
  
"Damn straight you did," Aurora snapped. "It's rude to butt in on someone else's conversation, jerk. And besides, I've told you before: don't sneak up on me! What if I'd fired off a fireball before checking to see who was there, huh?"  
  
"I would have ducked," replied Arestan, deadpan.  
  
Aurora fought back a smile at his attempt to make a joke, and marched over to him.  
  
"I am so sick of you just dropping in whenever you want," she said in a low voice. "You don't give me any privacy whatsoever. And in my opinion, that's even ruder than butting in on someone else's conversation."  
  
As soon as the words left her mouth, Aurora wished that she could take them back. Arestan stepped backwards, a hurt look in his eyes.  
  
"Well, you're entitled to your own opinion," he said stiffly. "I guess I'll be going now."  
  
"Arestan, wait---" Aurora started to say, but it was too late. Arestan shimmered away. Aurora stared at the place where he'd been standing, and tears brimmed in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, even though she knew that Arestan probably wouldn't hear her. She turned to face Piper, Phoebe, and Paige, a look of complete unhappiness on her face. "What have I done?"  
  
* * *  
  
A short while later, Aurora was getting ready to leave Halliwell Manor, armed with knowledge about warlocks.  
  
"Now, when you get home, lock the doors and windows, and before opening the door to let someone in, look out the window to see who it is first," said Piper. "That should keep you fairly safe."  
  
"Yes, Mother," replied Aurora sarcastically.  
  
"Now, do you need a ride? After all, what if you run into him on the way home?"  
  
"Piper, the odds of me coming face-to-face with Jason on the way home are slim to none. I'd have to have really crappy luck for that to happen." Aurora hugged Piper. "I'll call you when I get to Claire's house."  
  
With that, she opened the door, and gasped. Jason was standing on the front porch, a sneer on his face.  
  
"Hey, babe," he said. "Wanna go get that soda now?" He lunged at her, and Aurora slammed the door in his face. There was a thud as Jason landed flat on his butt after connecting with the door nose-first. Aurora opened the door, and saw that he was blinking, a dazed look on his face. She shut the door again, and turned around.  
  
"Piper, do you remember what I said about having to have really crappy luck in order to come face-to-face with Jason?" she asked. "Well, I was right."  
  
"What?" Piper turned to stare at Aurora.  
  
"He's sitting on the front porch. He'd be standing except that when I opened the door he lunged at me and I shut the door so quickly he hit it nose-first."  
  
Piper dashed over to the door and looked through the peephole.  
  
"Aurora, he's not out there now," she said, turning back around. Suddenly, there was an unmistakable popping noise, and an instant later, Jason stood between them. Piper lifted her hands, ready to blow him up, but before she could, he grabbed Aurora and held onto her tightly.  
  
"If you blow me up, it'll kill Aurora up as well," he said, grinning cruelly. "You've got two choices: you can blow me up, which will, unfortunately, take the life of Aurora as well, or you can let me go. Problem is, if you let me go, I'll kidnap Aurora, take her to my bed, and then kill her to drain her of her powers. For me, it's a win-lose situation, but for you and Aurora, it's a lose-lose situation. What'll it be, Charmed One? Kill the warlock and your best friend at the same time, or let the warlock go, knowing that he's going to rape her, kill her, and drain her of her powers. Which choice will you make?"  
  
Aurora stared at Piper. She knew that Piper didn't have the heart to blow up Jason while he was holding onto Aurora, and that wasn't a good thing.  
  
Jason grinned at the look on Piper's face.  
  
"Difficult decision to make, isn't it, Charmed One?" he asked, laughing evilly. "I know! Why don't I up the stakes so that you make a quicker decision?" He put his forearm across Aurora's throat and began squeezing, cutting off her oxygen.  
  
Aurora clawed at Jason's arm, frantically trying to make him let her go, but he just laughed and began squeezing harder.  
  
"Paige! Phoebe!" Piper yelled. "Get your butts down here!"  
  
The smile disappeared from Jason's face, and he took his free arm, flinging an energy ball at Piper. Before she could get out of the way, it hit her, sending her sprawling.  
  
"Let me go," gasped Aurora.  
  
"If you can talk, you can breathe," said Jason. "Guess I'd better squeeze harder."  
  
Black dots began swarming in front of Aurora's eyes, and her lungs felt as though they were going to explode.  
  
Suddenly, the pressure across her throat was gone, and Aurora fell to the floor. She looked up, and saw that Arestan was standing there. He had an energy ball in one hand, and looked absolutely livid. The loss of oxygen finally caught up to her, and she passed out.  
  
Jason stared at the chameleon. He'd heard a rumor that the same thing that had happened to Belthazar had happened to Arestan; that he'd fallen in love with a witch. He hadn't believed it for a moment. But now, seeing the angry look on Arestan's face, Jason began to believe the rumors were more than just rumors. He jumped to his feet and tried to run away, but Arestan flung the energy ball at him, striking him in the back. Jason crashed into the wall and slid to the ground, unconscious.  
  
* * *  
  
Arestan glared at the unconscious form of the warlock, and then turned around, where Aurora was lying on the ground.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked before noticing that her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. "Aurora!" He dashed over to her still form, and placed two fingers on the side of her throat. He could feel a pulse, but it was faint. Arestan rolled Aurora onto her back, and tilted her head up slightly, opening her mouth. He placed his mouth over hers, and began forcing air into her lungs. He pulled away and began pumping his hands on her chest, trying to jump-start her heart. Then he began forcing air into her lungs again.  
  
* * *  
  
Piper opened her eyes and sat up, groaning. She glanced around, and saw that Arestan was kneeling next to Aurora's still figure. He had his mouth over hers. Piper's jaw fell open. --That son of a bitch-- she thought angrily. --He's taking advantage of her!-- She slowly stood up, just as Arestan pulled away from Aurora, and began pumping his hands on her chest. Piper blinked, and then it hit her. Arestan was giving Aurora CPR.  
  
Arestan stopped pumping Aurora's chest, and placed his mouth over hers again. A moment later, she began coughing, and Arestan pulled away, helping her to sit up.  
  
"Aurora, are you all right?" he asked worriedly. She nodded. Suddenly, Paige and Phoebe came running down the stairs, and when they saw Arestan crouched next to Aurora, they immediately reacted.  
  
"Get away from her, scumbag!" snarled Paige. "You are so *not* going to make her your bride!"  
  
"I just gave her CPR," Arestan replied, confused. "I didn't propose anything."  
  
Paige and Phoebe stared at him in surprise.  
  
"Why would you need to give her CPR?" demanded Phoebe.  
  
"Because Jason tried to choke her to death," replied Piper, slowly getting to her feet. Paige and Phoebe ran over to help her up.  
  
"You mean the boyfriend from hell was here?" Paige asked.  
  
"Yep." Piper glanced over at where Jason was lying a few feet away, unconscious. "And he's still here."  
  
Arestan stood up, and helped Aurora to her feet. She stared at Jason for a moment, not saying anything. Finally, she spoke.  
  
"I have to vanquish him, don't I?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," replied Piper. "The thing about warlocks is that they can never change. They can't go from being bad to good, like Cole did. Once you become a warlock, that's it. You can never become good again."  
  
"Aurora, because you were close to him, you have to vanquish him by yourself," said Phoebe. "We can't do it for you, and we can't help you. We can only offer our emotional support."  
  
Aurora sighed, and turned back to Jason, who had opened his eyes and was slowly getting to his feet, groaning. When he saw Aurora standing there, his eyes narrowed angrily.  
  
"You bitch," he hissed. "I'm going to enjoy taking your powers."  
  
Aurora merely gazed at him calmly, a spell forming in her mind.  
  
"Evil that betrayed my trust, and caused my heart to break, I give you now your just dessert, 'cause now I'm wide awake," she said softly. Jason's eyes grew wide, and he exploded, disappearing in flames. Aurora stared at the place where he had been standing, and then grabbed her purse, which was lying on the ground a few feet away from her. She opened it, and pulled out her cell phone, punching in a number.  
  
"Hello?" came Claire's voice over the phone.  
  
"Claire? It's Aurora. I just vanquished my boyfriend." Then she burst into tears.  
  
to be continued...  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Just one more chapter to go! Please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


	7. Crying Her Eyes Out

Note: At last---the final chapter!  
  
Chapter 7: Crying Her Eyes Out  
  
The moment the Halliwells and Aurora arrived at Claire's house, Claire ran outside, making a beeline for Aurora. She was followed closely by Adam and the other members of Mutant X.  
  
"Aurora, are you all right?" Claire demanded worriedly.  
  
Aurora nodded, and managed to smile at her.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied. "I've just never vanquished anyone before."  
  
"It's especially hard when the one you have to vanquish is someone that you loved," said Piper, giving Aurora a sympathetic look.  
  
Aurora nodded in agreement.  
  
"If you guys don't mind, I'm just gonna go to my room," she said softly, and went inside, heading upstairs towards her bedroom. A moment later, they heard the door shut behind her.  
  
"Is she going to be all right?" asked Adam worriedly.  
  
"She'll be fine," replied Phoebe. "She's just a bit shell-shocked, that's all. Wouldn't you be, if you had just vanquished the person that you've been dating and making out with for the last two months?"  
  
Adam nodded in agreement.  
  
* * *  
  
Aurora lay on her bed, not doing anything. She had taken off her shoes and tossed them in the closet, and then plopped face-first onto her bed.  
  
A moment later, the air behind her shimmered, and then Arestan stood there. He stared down at the young woman, a worried look on his face.  
  
"Aurora, we need to talk," he said.  
  
"No, we don't," came her muffled reply.  
  
"Yes, we do," said Arestan firmly.  
  
"I don't wanna talk to you," replied Aurora, lifting her head and glaring at the demon hatefully. She interrupted him before he could continue. "If you think that I'm going to have a conversation with you, then you'd better think again. Because of you, Jason is dead."  
  
"But he was a warlock," Arestan pointed out, confused.  
  
"I don't care! I was *happier* not knowing what he was! Then you came along and ruined everything! You and your damned marriage proposal! Get out of my sight, Arestan! I never want to see you again!" Aurora buried her face in her pillow, her body wracked with sobs.  
  
If she had bothered to look up at Arestan, she would have seen him backing up, a hurt look on his face. Pressing his lips firmly together, he went over to the door, and quietly opened it. Arestan walked out into the hallway, and nearly slammed into Phoebe, who was standing outside Aurora's door with Paige and Piper.  
  
"Arestan, we heard everything," said Phoebe quietly. "She might've forced the memory of Jason trying to choke her out of her mind. Trauma victims do that sometimes. It's their way of coping with it."  
  
"But don't worry," said Paige. "We'll talk to her."  
  
"No, we won't," Piper said quietly, and her sisters turned to stare at her in disbelief. "Arestan is the one who's got to talk to her. Not us."  
  
Arestan nodded, knowing that the Charmed One was right. He walked back into Aurora's bedroom, heading for her bed.  
  
"Aurora, we need to talk about what happened today with Jason," he said firmly.  
  
"No, we don't," Aurora replied.  
  
"Yes, we do. I'm not taking no for an answer."  
  
Aurora sat up, and glared at the demon.  
  
"All right. You wanna talk about what happened today with Jason? What happened is that you made me kill him," she spat angrily.  
  
"I didn't make you do anything," said Arestan. "I saved your life when Jason was trying to choke you. You did the rest."  
  
Aurora tried to say something else, but her throat closed up. She jumped to her feet and flung herself at Arestan, pummeling him with her fists.  
  
"You bastard!" she screamed. "Jason's dead because of you! It's all your fault!" Arestan grabbed her wrists, preventing her from hitting him anymore. Aurora tried to yank her wrists out of his grasp, but Arestan held tight, refusing to let her go. Still struggling to get free, Aurora burst into tears, crying hysterically. "It's all my fault!" she sobbed. "I should have seen him for what he was from the beginning!"  
  
Arestan pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.  
  
"Shh," he whispered soothingly. "It's all right. It's all right."  
  
As he held her, Aurora sobbed into his shoulder. Arestan glanced over at the Charmed Ones, who were watching the scene grimly. Paige stepped into the room, heading for Aurora. She placed a hand on the younger woman's head, and a golden light came out of her hand. Aurora let out a sigh, and slumped in Arestan's arms, sound asleep.  
  
Arestan lifted Aurora into his arms, and placed her on her bed, pulling the covers over her. Then he glanced over at Paige.  
  
"Thank you, Charmed One," he whispered, so that Aurora wouldn't wake up.  
  
"No problem," Paige replied. "I know that she's gonna be all right, but should one of us stay with her tonight, just in case there's a problem?"  
  
"I can stay with her," Arestan offered. The three sisters turned to stare at him incredulously, and he added, "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of her. You can trust me."  
  
"All right," said Piper darkly. "We'll give you this one chance. Blow it, and we vanquish your sorry ass."  
  
Now it was Arestan's turn to stare at her incredulously.  
  
"Charmed One, you're mixing me up with my brother," he said disgustedly. "I may be Alaster's twin, but the only things I have in common with him are my looks, my choice of attire, my shapeshifting abilities, and the fact that we came from the same womb. If I were Alaster, and was being left alone in a room with a beautiful young woman like Aurora, I would kidnap her, take her below, force her to marry me, and then lock her in a cage for my eyes only." Piper, Phoebe, and Paige's eyes grew huge. "But I'm not Alaster; I'm Arestan. I love Aurora, and I'm willing to protect her from anything that seeks to hurt her."  
  
Piper sighed.  
  
"All right," she replied. "I'm gonna go downstairs and ask Claire if there's a guest room that we can sleep in tonight. I am *way* too tired to drive home right now."  
  
The three Halliwells went downstairs, shutting the door behind them, and Arestan sighed. He walked over to Aurora's bed, gazing down at her sleeping figure. She was absolutely beautiful when she slept, like an angel. Arestan reached down with one hand, and brushed a lock of red-gold hair away from her face.  
  
"So beautiful," he murmured. "Aurora, I love you. I can only hope that someday you'll love me back."  
  
Arestan leaned over and brushed his lips across Aurora's forehead. Then he crouched beside her bed, and lay his head down on his arms, closing his eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Aurora opened her eyes, blinking at the sunlight that was shining directly into her eyes. Grumbling, she used her telekinesis to grab hold of the window shade and yank it down. Then she looked down, and saw that Arestan was sound asleep next to her bed, his head laying down on his arms.  
  
Aurora smiled down at the demon's sleeping figure, and reached out with one hand. She gently shook him, trying to wake him up. At first, it seemed to work; Arestan opened his eyes and lifted his head groggily, looking around, but then he promptly fell asleep again. Aurora shook him again, but Arestan stayed asleep, snoring.  
  
By that time, Aurora was completely annoyed, and had lost her patience. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and shoved him as hard as she could. Arestan fell backwards, but as Aurora watched him fall, she lost her balance and tumbled out of bed, landing on top of him.  
  
Arestan's eyes flew open, and his dark brown eyes stared into Aurora's pale green ones. They stayed where they were, not moving, until in the doorway, someone cleared their throat.  
  
Aurora looked up, and saw that the Halliwells were standing there, along with Claire and the members of Mutant X. She turned beet-red, and scrambled to get to her feet. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all looked as though they were going to start laughing at any minute, and so were Emma, Shalimar, and Claire. Jesse and Brennan had huge grins on their faces. But Adam, on the other hand...  
  
Adam looked like a father who'd caught his daughter doing something illegal.  
  
"I know that this looks really suspicious---"Aurora began, but Piper interrupted her.  
  
"No need to explain," she said. "Everyone heard the thuds. Besides, if you'd been doing something illegal, the two of you would have been kissing when we came up here."  
  
Aurora reached down and helped Arestan to his feet.  
  
"Okay, everyone," said Phoebe, turning to the others. "Show's over. Nothing more to see here."  
  
As soon as everyone had left her room, Aurora turned to Arestan.  
  
"I hope I didn't hurt you when I shoved you off my bed," she said apologetically. Arestan shook his head, smiling.  
  
"There was no permanent damage done," he replied. "But why didn't you try waking me up a different way?"  
  
"I tried shaking you awake twice," Aurora answered. "The first time, you seemed to wake up, but then you promptly went comatose again, and the second time you didn't react at all."  
  
Arestan grinned.  
  
"Well, I've always been an extremely deep sleeper," he said, laughing. "Alaster used to tease me about how nothing short of dropping a bulldozer on me could wake me up."  
  
Aurora giggled at the image of a much-younger Arestan getting a bulldozer dropped on his head, and Arestan made a face at her.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that Alaster was just as deep a sleeper as you," replied Aurora.  
  
"Well, he was easier to wake than I was," said Arestan. He gazed at Aurora's face, and his smile faded. "Are you all right?" he asked gently, a worried look on his face.  
  
"After the way I acted last night?"  
  
"After everything that happened yesterday."  
  
Aurora stared at Arestan for a moment, not saying anything.  
  
"Yes and no," she said finally. "It's going to take a while for my heart to heal. I loved Jason, and I thought he loved me just as much as I loved him. But I was wrong."  
  
"Don't worry," said Arestan softly. "If you need any help coping, I'll be there."  
  
Aurora smiled at Arestan.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered. "If it hadn't been for you, I'd probably be dead right now, with my powers being used to kill other witches by that scumbag who dared to call himself my boyfriend for the past two months." Standing on her tiptoes, Aurora placed a gentle kiss on Arestan's cheek, and he stared at her in shock. "Thank you," she repeated.  
  
A silly grin spread across Arestan's face as he reached up with one hand to touch his cheek.  
  
"Aurora?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Since you just kissed me on the cheek, does that mean that you've changed your mind about my offer of marriage?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Damn."  
  
The End  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Yay! This story is finally finished! Now I'm going to start on the next sequel, which will be a romance between Arestan and Aurora. As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


End file.
